International & World Politics, Political Science, International Relations 

"This book marks a milestone in peace research. The insightful review of the early development of the field of conflict resolution brings a much-needed perspective on the challenges presented by late twentieth-century conflicts. The authors provide a complex and highly differentiated view of today's international collectivity, in which no one set of actors or perspectives predominates. The analysis of contemporary conflict processes is brilliant, and is solidified by case studies of ongoing conflicts and the roles played by governments, the UN, NGOs and grassroots groups. The authors' attention to the actual indigenous peacemaking capabilities that remain in even the most violent war zones, capabilities that are usually ignored and overrun by outside intervenors, is very important for the strengthening of viable peacebuilding activity in such zones. These local capabilities are the basis for hope in a violent world.
This book is a must for students in the fields of peace studies and international relations, for researchers and practitioners, and for policy-makers."

Elise Boulding, former Secretary-General of the International Peace Research Association and Professor Emerita of Sociology, Dartmouth College

"Since 1988 thirty-eight peace accords have been signed, most of them internal. The publication of this book is a timely response to this remarkable new phenomenon. It is a most comprehensive and well-written overview of conflict resolution theory and practice, appraising the literature on every stage of the cycle, from conflict prevention through violence to peacebuilding."

Professor John Darby, University of Ulster

"Contemporary Conflict Resolution should be mantatory reading for international relations and security studies scholars ... Too many books on conflict resolution either lurch too far in the direction of policy activism or bog down in desiccated theoretical debates. Not this one. While remaining true to the book's scholarly mission, the authors combine a refreshing personal commitment to the cause of international peace with a realistic measure of the odds stacked against it."

European Security

"Its structure makes it accessible to both experts in the field and those new to it. It would make an excellent text for any college level course on global conflict resolution." 

This is the first integrated survey of conflict resolution since the Cold War, offering an ideal introduction to the subject and an authoritative assessment of its current stage of development. - from Amzon 

Contents

1. Introduction …………………………………………….............................................P. 1
Introduction to Conflict Resolution………………………….......................................P. 5
Statistics of Deadly Quarrels………………………………...........................................P. 22
Conflict resolution and the international community……..................................P. 33
Structure of the Book………………………………………..............................................P. 38

2. Conflict Resolution: foundations, Contractions and Reconstructions………………………………………………...............................................P. 39
Precursors……………………………………………………………...........................................P. 40
Foundations: the 1950s and 1960s…………………………………................................P. 42
Constructions: the 1970s and 1980s…………………………………..............................P. 48
Reconstruction: the 1990s……………………………………………...................................P. 56
Conclusion………………………………………………………….............................................P. 63

3. Understanding Contemporary Conflict……………………................................P. 65
Theories and Frameworks……………………………………………....................................P. 66
Edward Zara’s Theory of Protracted Social Conflict (PSC)……….........................P. 68
Sources of Contemporary International-Social Conflict……………........................P. 77
Conflict Mapping and Conflict Tracking……………………………................................P. 91
Conclusion………………………………………………………….............................................P. 94

4. Preventing Violent Conflicts…………………………………...................................P. 95
Causes and preventors of war…………………………………….....................................P. 96
Preventors of Interstate and Non-Interstate War………………...........................P. 103
The Prevetion of Violent Conflict…………………………….......................................P. 109
Case Studies: Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo…….............................................P. 121
Conclusion……………………………………………………................................................p. 127

5. Working in War Zones………………………………………...................................p. 128
War Zones, War Economies and Cultures of violence………............................P. 129
Case Study: Rwanda…………………………………………..........................................P. 133
Preparing the Ground for Conflict Resolution…………………...............................P. 139
Conclusion………………………………………………………..............................................P. 149

6. Ending Violent Conflict………………………………………...................................P. 152
The Challenge of Ending Violent Conflict…………………….................................. P. 153
Conflict Resolution and War Ending……………................................................P. 155
Case Study: South Africa, Israel-Palestine, Northern Ireland….......................P. 168
Conclusion……………………………………………………................................................P. 183

7. Post settlement Peace Building…………………………….................................P. 185
Post Settlement Peace Building Defined……………………...................................P. 186
The challenge of post-settlement peacebuilding……………...............................P.188
The UN’s Post-Settlement Peace Building SOP………………...............................P. 194
Reflections on UN post-settlement peacebuilding, 1988-98…….......................P. 198
Conclusion ……………………………………………………...............................................P. 211

Conclusion……………………………………………………................................................P. 216
Hope and History………………………………………………............................................P.216
Difficult questions………………………………………………...........................................P. 220
A further shore…………………………………………………............................................P. 223